Chapter 786: Moonlight Shines on White Bones (7000)

July 8th, 9: 0 AM.

The vanguard of the Northern Border Army, which had invaded the Northern Barbarians, had reached the deepest point previously opened up by the Green Frost Army.

From this location, there was less than twenty li of straight-line distance remaining to the main base of the Dream Lion Tribe.

After the vanguard arrived, they did not immediately launch an attack, but instead began to build defensive fortifications and set up tents.

They waited until after 4: 0 PM, when the main force arrived in succession.

Prince Cheng issued the order to attack!

It was not the soldiers who entered the dense forest ahead first.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—

Shells flew into the air with turbulent air currents, traced a parabola in the sky, and finally landed in the dense forest.

Three hundred portable mortars fired simultaneously!

Towering ancient trees were blown apart, dense ferns were shattered into pieces, and dust filled the sky.

The traps, ambushed venomous insects, wild beasts, and barbarian warriors pre-set in the dense forest were all blown to pieces.

Under artillery fire, all beings are equal!

Before attacking, use artillery to bombard for a few rounds, then send soldiers with guns to charge in formation.

This tactic was the one most used by the Western Allied Forces when they invaded the Great Lan Dynasty, and now the Great Lan Dynasty had learned its essence.

It is a pity that the maximum range of this type of portable mortar carried by the Northern Border Army was only three li, making it impossible to cover the entire dense forest ahead.

After five rounds of artillery bombardment, following an order from Prince Cheng, more than three thousand vanguard soldiers charged into the dense forest!

These soldiers all chose to wear pistols at their waists and hold combat sabers in their hands.

In the wild jungle, there were too many obstacles, so guns were actually not as useful as blades.

The soldiers walking at the very front first scattered a large amount of medicinal powder to repel venomous insects and snakes, then used specialized machetes to continuously cut through the ferns they encountered, clearing a path for the comrades behind them.

These ferns were dense, lush, and could be seen everywhere.

Therefore, there was no road in this wild jungle to begin with; one could only cut a road out!

There were only twenty li left to the main base of the Dream Lion Tribe, but Prince Cheng did not let the Green Frost Army clear the way again.

The previous path-clearing had already caused great attrition to the Green Frost Army, and from now on, unless it was absolutely necessary, Prince Cheng would not use even a shred of the Green Frost Army's strength.

For these last twenty li leading to the Dream Lion Tribe's main base, Prince Cheng wanted to pave it with artillery fire, blood, and corpses!

Although the Northern Border Army had guarded the border for many years, they actually did not have much experience fighting enemies in the wild jungle; they mostly intercepted enemies in outside towns, valleys, and plains.

Prince Cheng needed such a "warm-up battle" to let the soldiers slowly adapt to the rhythm of the upcoming fighting.

At the same time, this was also the time he deliberately left for the Dream Lion Tribe.

If he wiped out the Dream Lion Tribe too quickly, how could he lure out the real target?

In the jungle, a team of border soldiers wearing leather armor, helmets, and holding combat sabers walked cautiously.

Beneath their feet were the ferns that had been cut down.

While passing a large tree, a tiny blowdart flew out silently from the lush branches above, precisely hitting a soldier in the neck.

The soldier who was hit felt his neck go numb and thought he had been bitten by a mosquito; he reached out to touch it subconsciously, only then realizing something was wrong.

His expression did not change, and he was about to open his mouth to shout, but he suddenly felt dizzy, collapsed to the ground, and began to foam at the mouth!

"Enemy attack—"

"They're above!"

"Son of a—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out in the jungle.

This team of border soldiers pulled out the pistols at their waists one after another and fired at the branches above.

During this process, another soldier was hit in the neck by a blowdart and fell to the ground.

After the gunshots rang out, the branches above shook, and a figure leaped down from the tree, dived into the lush plants, and disappeared after a few movements.

"Don't chase!"

"Save the people first!"

"..."

At this time, gunshots, exclamations, roars, and screams were also heard in other parts of the dense forest.

There were Northern Barbarian warriors hiding in the trees, Northern Barbarian warriors hiding in the dense plants, and even some hiding underground...

These Northern Barbarian warriors hiding in the dark used poisoned blowdarts, crossbow bolts, spears, and other weapons to launch sneak attacks, and they ran as soon as they struck, never staying.

Ordinary border soldiers found it difficult to make timely counterattacks when encountering this situation; only the martial artists in the team had a chance to kill back.

Fortunately, the proportion of martial artists in this vanguard unit was very high, far higher than the Northern Barbarian warriors hiding in the dark.

Coupled with the fact that there had been a round of artillery bombardment, many of the Northern Barbarians' arrangements were destroyed, and nearly half of the people in ambush were killed or injured, so the vanguard of the border army was still continuously pushing forward.

As more and more border soldiers entered this battlefield, large areas of plants were cut down, the space for the barbarian warriors to dodge and move became less and less, and the number of casualties gradually rose, forcing them to abandon this battlefield and retreat backward.

By the time night fell, the vanguard of the Northern Border Army had only pushed forward three li.

Prince Cheng ordered the entire army to rest and start a fire to cook.

On the border line, the Barbarian-Slaying Army, totaling more than seven thousand people, had already been stationed here three days ago.

Unlike the large army led by Prince Cheng, the Barbarian-Slaying Army only had three thousand six hundred Imperial Guard soldiers and three thousand five hundred twenty-seven Lan Patrol Pavilion martial artists; apart from that, there was not a single civilian laborer.

All supplies were carried by themselves.

The supplies of martial artists could be completed by taking Yuan-Replenishing elixirs; a single small pill could maintain a martial artist's consumption for an entire day in a non-combat state.

Therefore, the Barbarian-Slaying Army, a team composed entirely of martial artists, did not need to carry a large amount of heavy dry rations; they only needed to bring enough elixirs and sufficient water.

Only in this way could they solve the supply problem and thus penetrate deep into the wilderness to carry out missions.

Li Fei had stayed in this team for three days, honing his martial arts in the illusion he constructed himself every day.

Implants all required special storage methods; lower-three-grade implants were mostly refrigerated, and the storage of middle-three-grade implants was even more difficult.

Moreover, all implants had to be absorbed immediately after leaving the storage environment, otherwise they would soon undergo alienation.

Therefore, implants could not be carried around, nor were they convenient for transport.

When Li Fei was in Lanling City, the implants he wanted could be delivered to his hands at the first opportunity.

But in the Northern Border, there were no such good conditions.

After he arrived in the Northern Border, he only completed the absorption of one middle-three-grade technique-type implant; next, he could only hone his martial arts and techniques, and for the time being, he could not absorb any more implants.

"Marquis, Commander Bai requests your presence."

Outside the tent, someone came to report to Li Fei.

"Good."

Li Fei got up and walked out of his tent, heading toward the tent where Bai Yan was.

After entering the tent, he found that all the high-level officials of the Barbarian-Slaying Army were present.

Li Fei greeted everyone.

"Everyone is here, let me explain."

Seeing that Li Fei had arrived, Bai Yan spoke immediately.

As his voice fell, an invisible force shrouded the tent, ensuring that no one outside could eavesdrop on the upcoming conversation.

In the center of Bai Yan's tent was a military sand table, which simulated the terrain of the wilderness as well as important military intelligence such as the troop distribution and defensive zone settings of the seventeen tribes.

The Great Lan Dynasty had sent heavy troops to guard the Northern Border for hundreds of years; of course, it was impossible that they were just sending troops to guard it.

Even though they had never sent troops to invade the wilderness, the relevant intelligence work had never been slackened!

Regarding the general situation and troop distribution of the seventeen barbarian tribes, the Northern Border had always had sources of intelligence.

The sand table in Bai Yan's tent was proof of this, and what he said next further proved this point:

"Three days ago, the Northern Barbarian King ordered eleven tribes to send troops to rescue the Dream Lion Tribe, and he himself also led ten thousand personal guards to support them. According to the intelligence obtained so far, there have been large gaps in the Northern Barbarian defense line."

The Barbarian-Slaying Army had waited on the border line for three days, not only waiting for the latest intelligence but also waiting for the Northern Barbarians to complete their troop mobilization.

While speaking, Bai Yan continuously moved the directions of the flags inserted on the sand table.

With his movements, even Li Fei, who was "ignorant of military affairs," could clearly see that the loopholes in the Northern Barbarian defense zone were becoming larger and larger.

"I have drafted a march route that can ensure we can intercept and kill the Northern Barbarian King at the fastest speed!"

After Bai Yan moved all the flags, he stated his plan.

On the sand table, the flags representing the Northern Barbarian King and his personal guards were bright red.

At this time, this bright red flag was also rushing toward the location of the Dream Lion Tribe.

If the Barbarian-Slaying Army had invaded the wilderness directly at the beginning, they would have had to pass through layers of defense lines to have a chance to reach the Northern Barbarian King, and they would have been surrounded by a large army.

The final outcome would, in all likelihood, be the annihilation of the entire army!

But now, with Prince Cheng suddenly arriving at the Dream Lion Tribe's main base and the Northern Barbarian King ordering everyone to support, a safe march route had appeared just like that:

The Barbarian-Slaying Army could pass through the loopholes in the Northern Barbarian defense zone; as long as the speed was fast enough, they would have a chance to intercept and kill the opponent before the Northern Barbarian King and the armies of the other tribes converged!

In this way, the only enemies the Barbarian-Slaying Army would need to face were the Northern Barbarian King and the ten thousand personal guards around him.

This was also the most ideal situation when the military department drafted the plan in advance.

However, the intelligence obtained by the Barbarian-Slaying Army was not precise, and many of the troop mobilization situations were only speculations.

Therefore, this so-called "safe march route" drafted by Bai Yan only existed in theory.

Whether it could withstand the test of actual combat depended on how much real substance this commander, personally appointed by the Son of Heaven, actually had.

Since ancient times, deep-penetration operations into enemy territory to carry out combat missions had always been the most difficult, and they also tested the personal ability of the commander the most.

"Gentlemen, the opportunity for battle has appeared, depart immediately!"

Bai Yan swept his gaze sternly over everyone present, then issued an order.

Very quickly, the seven thousand-plus people all moved, entering the wild jungle at an extremely fast speed.

Over three thousand Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists divided into five teams, taking turns to serve as the vanguard to clear the path.

Compared to ordinary border army soldiers, these martial artists cleared the path faster, with higher efficiency and more abundant stamina.

Besides clearing the path, each of the three thousand-plus Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists carried a large pack of supplies.

Clearing the path and carrying supplies were the primary tasks for these three thousand-plus martial artists.

Combat was, in fact, their secondary task.

They needed to ensure that the three thousand six hundred Imperial Camp soldiers could preserve their combat strength to the greatest extent before entering battle.

That was why Chen Fei and the others were not worried about Li Fei being able to compete for credit with the Green Frost Army after the battle.

Even if this Barbarian-Slaying Army really succeeded in completing the decapitation mission in the end, Li Fei and the Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists he led would certainly not be the ones receiving the top credit.

Starting from after 3: 0 PM on July 8th, the Barbarian-Slaying Army of over seven thousand people marched for more than six hours, not stopping to set up camp until after 9: 0 PM.

In over six hours, running and stopping, taking elixirs to rest whenever tired, the Barbarian-Slaying Army covered a straight-line distance of over twenty li marching through the wild jungle!

Without the Green Frost Army clearing the path, ordinary border troops would not cover a straight-line distance of more than five li in six hours of marching through the wild jungle.

"The straight-line distance we cover each day from now on cannot be less than fifty li, only then can we arrive ahead of the Northern Barbarian King to intercept and kill the opponent!"

These were the words Bai Yan said to Li Fei and the others.

In the wild jungle, a daily straight-line marching distance of no less than fifty li—such an astonishingly high speed could only be achieved by a team like the Barbarian-Slaying Army.

According to Bai Yan's estimation, as long as they could maintain this speed, and if everything went smoothly, they would intercept the Northern Barbarian King in eight days!

The night passed without incident.

The next morning at 4: 0 AM, before dawn, Bai Yan ordered everyone to take elixirs and then begin the march.

Until 12: 0 PM, the Barbarian-Slaying Army traversed the jungle, climbed over a small mountain, and crossed countless undulating hills, reaching a straight-line marching distance of thirty li.

All the Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists responsible for clearing the path were already exhausted to the point of collapse.

Even with sufficient Essence-Replenishing Elixirs to replenish energy, the body was not made of iron after all; muscles would ache, mental energy would be depleted, and even the implants would have a fatigue period, unable to continuously absorb energy and provide it to the human body without end.

Bai Yan finally ordered a rest.

Li Fei arranged for people to be responsible for patrolling the perimeter as usual, and waited for the scouts walking at the very front to return and report the situation.

A moment later, a Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artist returned carrying another person.

Li Fei raised an eyebrow and took the initiative to walk up to them:

"What happened?"

"Marquis, we encountered a strange beast, and he was injured by it."

The man put down the martial artist he was carrying; the man's chest and abdomen were drenched in blood, his entire abdomen was almost shredded, and the intestines inside were all severed!

Both of these men were scouts who had been sent out.

On the route Bai Yan had determined, the Barbarian-Slaying Army had not encountered a single enemy so far.

But in this wild jungle, the danger was never just people.

"Marquis, I have already used healing medicine on him, but it can only barely stop the bleeding; this kind of injury..."

The surrounding Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists gathered around, and among them were those skilled in medicine who saw at a glance that even if such an injury could be treated, this person would be completely stripped of combat effectiveness from now on.

Unless he was given an extremely precious sacred healing medicine, he would not be able to recover in a short time.

But the injured scout was only a Body-Breaking Realm martial artist; how could he be worth using a sacred healing medicine on?

The people who gathered around all fell silent.

The Barbarian-Slaying Army still had a long way to go, and important tasks had yet to be completed; it was impossible for someone who had completely lost their combat effectiveness to keep up with the main force.

Send someone to carry him the whole way forward?

Send someone to stay behind and look after him?

Or send someone to escort him back?

This was war!

Therefore, none of these options were realistic.

"Marquis..."

The severely injured martial artist's face was pale, and he smiled with some difficulty, saying to Li Fei:

"Give me some healing medicine and Essence-Replenishing Elixirs... leave me here."

"..."

A silence fell.

The Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists who had gathered around all knew very clearly that this was the only choice!

This made them all feel a sense of "the fox mourning the death of the hare."

Because if it were one of them who was severely injured next, this would also be their final outcome.

Li Fei calmly squatted down, his palm resting gently on the other's abdomen; cyan light flowed out from his palm like liquid, entering the other's body.

The other's injuries began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

This scene caused the surrounding people to let out bursts of exclamation.

They knew that many Dao Foundation Realm powerhouses had healing-type extraordinary abilities, but even for core-level extraordinary abilities, they could basically only heal themselves and could not heal others.

Li Fei actually possessed an extraordinary ability that could heal others, and the healing effect was so powerful?!

One minute later, the previously severely injured scout stood up again.

Cheers erupted all around.

"Marquis!"

The healed scout was so moved that he knelt on one knee directly before Li Fei:

"Many thanks to the Marquis for the grace of saving my life!"

Li Fei calmly helped him up and patted his shoulder:

"Be careful in the future."

Then he turned and left to continue arranging tasks.

This matter quickly spread throughout the entire Barbarian-Slaying Army.

The three thousand-plus Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists under Li Fei's command were greatly boosted in morale after learning of this!

The other three thousand-plus Imperial Camp soldiers also felt encouraged.

After all, having a "divine physician" like Li Fei in the team would certainly make people feel much more at ease.

After resting for over two hours, Bai Yan ordered the entire army to set off again.

Along the way, the Barbarian-Slaying Army still did not encounter any enemies, but five scouts died from attacks by strange beasts, and seven severely injured scouts were all saved by Li Fei using "Green God."

Until after 9: 0 PM, Bai Yan ordered the entire army to set up camp and rest.

Today, the Barbarian-Slaying Army covered a straight-line distance of over sixty li!

"Marquis, Commander Bai requests your presence."

At night, a personal guard came to the outside of Li Fei's tent and said in a low voice.

Li Fei rose and walked out of the tent, followed the guard to the outside of Bai Yan's tent, and then walked in alone.

Inside Bai Yan's tent was a simple wooden table with a map on it; when Li Fei walked into the tent, he was leaning over the map, writing and drawing.

"Commander Bai."

Li Fei greeted him.

Bai Yan stood up and nodded at him: "Sit."

The seats were just two wooden stumps.

After both sat down, Bai Yan asked directly:

"I heard that the Marquis of Jing'an saved a total of eight severely injured scouts today?"

Li Fei's expression shifted, and he nodded: "Yes."

Bai Yan looked at him: "The Marquis of Jing'an is leading troops for the first time, yet you are so protective of your soldiers; it is admirable."

Li Fei did not speak; he knew that the other party calling him over alone in the middle of the night was certainly not to praise him.

Sure enough, Bai Yan continued:

"I know the Marquis of Jing'an has astonishing combat power and has even mastered a divine ability that can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, but doesn't saving people like this take a toll on you?"

Li Fei said calmly: "Naturally, there is a toll."

The healing effect of "Green God" was very strong, and the consumption was naturally very large!

Even though Li Fei had the 【Mixed Heaven Golden Palace】 divine ability, which could absorb the essence of heaven and earth to replenish his innate Qi, "Green God" consumed more than just innate Qi.

The implants themselves would suffer wear, and Li Fei's mental energy would also be depleted.

Neither of these could be recovered in a short time.

A martial artist's "essence, Qi, and spirit"—elixirs or divine abilities like 【Mixed Heaven Golden Palace】 could replenish "essence" and "Qi," but they could not replenish "spirit."

Elixirs that could quickly restore a martial artist's mental energy were very rare and very precious.

Likewise, elixirs that could quickly restore the fundamental wear of implants were the same.

Compared to martial artists of the same realm, Li Fei, who possessed the 【Mixed Heaven Golden Palace】 divine ability, indeed had very strong sustained combat capability.

But that did not mean he was a "perpetual motion machine."

Bai Yan looked at him: "I have heard of your battle with Luo Xu; in this Barbarian-Slaying Army, apart from us few Grandmasters and top-tier True Persons, your combat power should be the strongest! Although the Imperial Camp's combat power is also very strong, their ability for sustained battle is not as good as yours."

"Therefore, to me, you are a very important link in the upcoming battle plan!"

"Does the Marquis of Jing'an understand what I mean?"

Li Fei fell silent for a moment, then nodded: "I understand."

Bai Yan looked him in the eye for a few seconds, and finally said:

"Your healing ability is of course very useful, but anyone below the Dao Foundation realm is not worth you taking action to save."

His tone was not harsh, but Li Fei knew clearly that this was a formal military order issued by the other party!

"Yes, Commander Bai."

Li Fei also said seriously to Bai Yan.

A smile appeared on Bai Yan's face: "Marquis of Jing'an, get some rest early."

Li Fei nodded, turned, and walked toward the outside of the tent.

"Li Fei."

Just as he was about to step out of the tent, Bai Yan's voice suddenly came from behind him.

He turned his head to look at the other party.

"People will inevitably die in war."

Bai Yan looked into Li Fei's eyes and said every word clearly:

"That is war!"

Li Fei pursed his lips: "Thank you for the reminder, Commander Bai."

Then he walked out of the tent.

Inside the tent, Bai Yan continued to lower his head to study the map.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, the Barbarian-Slaying Army continued on its way.

Before setting off, Bai Yan issued a military order in his capacity as the Regional Commander of the Barbarian-Slaying Army:

From this moment on, anyone who is injured and temporarily loses the ability to move shall be left where they are, with a portion of supplies left for them, and they need not be brought back into the ranks.

Hearing this military order, Li Fei pursed his lips.

He knew this was Bai Yan's good intention.

The other party took the initiative to play the villain, rather than forcing Li Fei to destroy the lofty image he had built up in the hearts of the Blue Patrol Pavilion martial artists.

No one questioned this military order from Bai Yan, and the Barbarian-Slaying Army continued their march.

On this day, a total of sixteen scouts died, and fifteen scouts were seriously injured.

None of the seriously injured scouts returned to the ranks.

July 11th, 9: 0 AM.

On the fourth day of the Barbarian-Slaying Army's deep penetration into the wilderness, the straight-line distance they had marched already exceeded one hundred and fifty li.

Along this journey, the Barbarian-Slaying Army had not encountered a single Northern Barbarian warrior!

Such a result fully demonstrated the leadership ability of the Regional Commander, Bai Yan, giving the entire army more confidence in completing this mission.

At 12: 0 PM, Bai Yan ordered the entire army to rest, then temporarily summoned all high-ranking officers for a meeting.

"There is a gathering place for a branch of the Fire Qilin Tribe ahead of us."

Bai Yan got straight to the point, "We will arrive there around 6: 0 PM tonight, and I intend to wipe out this branch."

He said it lightly, as if he were talking about eating dinner at 6: 0 PM tonight.

Qi Zhou, who was to the side, raised a question: "Commander Bai, why must we wipe out this branch? Can't we bypass it?"

Bai Yan shook his head: "There are three reasons."

"First, to bypass this branch, we would have to climb over two more large mountains, which would seriously affect our march."

"Second, this branch is set up next to a river, and our subsequent march route must follow this river so that we can always have water to use."

"Third, whether it is the more than three thousand Imperial Camp soldiers, the martial artists of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, or everyone present, none of you have actually fought against Northern Barbarian warriors or experts. I need such a 'warm-up battle' to let everyone get familiar with the rhythm of the upcoming combat."

After hearing Bai Yan's explanation, Li Fei suddenly understood some principles of marching and fighting.

Physical strength and innate Qi can be replenished by elixirs, but water replenishment must rely on drinking water.

The drinking water carried by the Barbarian-Slaying Army had been completely exhausted the day before yesterday.

And the day before yesterday, Bai Yan 'happened' to lead everyone to find a lake to replenish water once.

This meant that when Bai Yan considered the march route, he not only had to consider avoiding the enemy but also had to consider the water consumption of the entire army and when and where to find water sources.

The entire wilderness was so vast, and without the ability to obtain enemy intelligence at any time, Li Fei had originally been wondering how Bai Yan would predict the Northern Barbarian King's march route to precisely intercept him.

Now he understood.

Terrain, water sources, the fastest march route.

With these three things superimposed, there were actually not many march routes the Northern Barbarian King could choose.

"Does anyone else have any questions?"

Bai Yan looked around at everyone present and asked.

No one asked any further questions.

"Good, then I will assign the combat tasks for tonight."

Under the night sky, below a valley, on a river beach, there was a large complex of buildings.

This was the gathering place for the branch of the Fire Qilin Tribe.

As one of the four major powerful tribes of the Northern Barbarians, the Fire Qilin Tribe had a total population of over one million and a total of more than a dozen branches.

This branch, built on the river beach, was home to more than fifty thousand people.

After the Fire Qilin Tribe decided to go all out to support the Dream Lion Tribe in response to the Northern Barbarian King's order, the main tribe sent the order to all branches, letting all branches also send a team to support.

The Fire Qilin Tribe branch here had a total of more than ten thousand warriors, and they had sent out more than three thousand.

Under the night sky, many bonfires and torches were lit in the branch's building complex.

In the valley above, Li Fei arrived silently at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the building complex below.

To ensure the suddenness of the surprise attack, Bai Yan sent experts from the Barbarian-Slaying Army to act as scouts to silently eliminate all the hidden sentries set up on the perimeter of this Fire Qilin Tribe branch.

Li Fei had also taken action.

Just now, relying on Sword State: Shadowless and Formless, he had used a near-invisible method to eliminate five hidden sentries.

Next, he would also act as a vanguard, leading the team to kill their way into the Fire Qilin Tribe branch below.

"To ensure that the news of our team does not leak, I require that this battle tonight must annihilate all enemies."

"This Fire Qilin Tribe branch has about fifty thousand people; not a single one can be left!"

Li Fei's mind recalled the order Bai Yan had issued in the tent during the day.

At this moment, looking at the large complex of buildings below and the Northern Barbarians coming and going, he had a concrete concept of fifty thousand people.

The river in the distance flowed with a gurgling sound, and the moonlight cast a shimmer on the river surface.

For the tens of thousands of people in the Fire Qilin Tribe branch, this was an ordinary, quiet night.

Li Fei lowered his head and glanced at his feet.

In the soil under his feet was a half-buried white bone; the moonlight shone on the bone, and one could clearly see rows of tooth marks left on it.

These were not tooth marks left by wild beasts.

Li Fei looked at the white bone under his feet with an expressionless face. After looking for a long while, he raised his head again, then leaped down toward the valley below.

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(End of chapter)